Reading the latest Focus Canada survey from the Environics Institute illustrates how little progress the Conservatives have made in trying to change the way Canadians see their country, its present and its history, says Globe and Mail columnist Jeffrey Simpson. (Globe and Mail. Feb.27, 2013).
If this survey (that goes back more than three decades) shows anything, it is how on many issues the government is offside majority public opinion, he wrote.
“The Harperites are keen on symbols of importance to their core {supporters}, and, they hope, by extension to other Canadians.“They are gaga about the British monarchy. Yet when asked about the importance of national symbols, Canadians ranked monarchy last, a pitiful 17 per cent – way behind the second least-least-popular symbol. (A Nanos poll recently showed how the $30-million spent on “celebrating” the War of 1812 flopped as a way of re-engaging Canadians)”
The number of Quebeckers who report being proud to be Canadian has fallen to 34 percent, compared with 47 per cent when Harper became Prime Minister, Simpson writes. “The number of Quebeckers who think they share the same values as other Canadians has never been lower.”